Dengue stalks villages on the city’s edge

People in Anedoddi locality of this village 46 km from Bangalore are living in constant fear. Dengue has claimed one life, 35 have tested positive and 122 others are being treated for suspected dengue. Even a slight increase in body temperature prompts the 350-odd residents of this locality to rush to a nearby hospital.

Former vice-president of Harohalli Gram Panchayat, Nanjaiah, said the number of people suffering from dengue is more than the official figures. “A few days back, a girl named Sneha died at Vani Vilas Hospital and prior to that, another woman had died due to dengue. At least 64 cases have been reported,” he claimed. The health and family welfare department officials, however, said that cases of dengue can be confirmed only after conducting proper tests.

Measures announced by the state government to contain dengue don’t seem to have reached this village. One of the main reasons for such a high number of dengue cases in the locality, according to Ramanagaram District Health Officer Raghunath, is due to storage of water in cement tanks that are not closed.

“Villagers store water in cement tanks and leave them open. Frequent power cuts also force villagers to store water to last them for three days. Dengue larvae thrive in such places,” he told Express.

Ramanagaram district has recorded 153 cases and two deaths. “Intermittent rain is also one of the major reasons for increase in the number of cases,” he added.

Most people in the village have cows and make a living selling milk, while some also have bigger dairy farms. “Dengue was first reported in Siddanadoddi, a neighboring village, and a health camp was conducted there on June 13. The health department staff educated villagers about covering water tanks and pots,” he said.

In Siddanadoddi, the department was able to contain the spread of dengue.

Authorities have not been able to contain dengue in Harohalli. “This is the season. As there are rains, we can only control it by increasing surveillance. People also have to take care and should not stop treatment in three days. It takes 10 days to recover from dengue,” Health Director Dhanya Kumar told Express. “Villagers need not panic as everyone suffering from fever will not have dengue,” he added.

Appanna Benawadi, a 42-year-old army jawan, died of dengue on Thursday night at Command Hospital in Bangalore.

According to sources, Benawadi, who hailed from Belgaum district, was sick for over 15 days and was brought to Command Hospital for treatment.

Disclaimer: We respect your thoughts and views! But we need to be judicious while moderating your comments. All the comments will be moderated by the NIE editorial. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks. Try to avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines.